314 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 



but of those that had been trodden upon by my horse, 

 and others I had knocked down, I counted no less than 

 twenty-seven ! Proud of my exploit, I gathered the birds 

 into my bag, and rode in search of my companions. 



Our party on this day numbered over eight hundred 

 head killed ; but, to our surprise and chagrin, our antago- 

 nists had beaten us by more than a hundred. 



The gentlemen of "ours" were wretched. 



The belles were monopolized by our antagonists ; we were 

 scouted, and debarred every privilege. It was not to be 

 endured ; something must be done. What was to be done ? 

 councilled we. If fair means will not answer, we must 

 try the opposite. It was evident that our antagonists 

 were better shots than we. 



The colonel, too, was one of them, and he was sure to 

 kill every time he pulled trigger. The odds were against 

 us ; some plan must be devised ; some ruse must be 

 adopted, and the idea of one had been passing through 

 my mind the whole of that day. It was this : I had 

 noticed, that, although the pigeons would not allow the 

 sportsmen to come within range of a fowling piece, yet at 

 a distance of little over a hundred yards, they neither 

 fear man nor beast. At that distance they sit unconcerned, 

 thousands of them upon a single tree. It struck me that 

 a gun large enough to throw shot among them, would be 

 certain of killing hundreds at each discharge ; but where 



